The Cottondale Hornets will square off against the Walton Braves at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Neither Cottondale nor Walton posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.
Cottondale is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Port St. Joe just ended the team's six-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell just short of the Tiger Sharks by a score of 2-1.
Meanwhile, Walton posted their closest win since April 15, 2024 on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 victory over South Walton.
Raina Pitts made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Pitts was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and one RBI. That's the most doubles she has posted since back in April of 2024.
Pitts wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Chloe Bendure, who went 1-for-3 with one triple and one run. That triple marked the first that Bendure hit this season.
Walton's win bumped their record up to 5-9. As for Cottondale, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Cottondale has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 11.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Walton struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Cottondale beat Walton 7-4 when the teams last played back in February. Will the Hornets repeat their success, or do the Braves have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
